saturday, april 20, 2013
Recovery Run
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 39:13
Pace: 9:48
Comments: After my brutal marathon experience, I was planning on running very little this week. Although I was extremely sore, I felt reasonably good. Then, the day after, I took a step and felt a tweak in the front of my left ankle. That tendon was then very sore for the next few days making me limp around quite a bit. It hadn't given me a peep prior to that.
By Friday it was stiff but not painful anymore so I decided to take a stab at a very easy run this morning. The weather was about as absolutely perfect as you could hope for a spring morning, cool, bright and delightful. I kept my pace at a very comfortable point right above a jog. While I kept track of how the ankle was doing, it didn't prove to be an issue.
read moretuesday, february 28, 2012
Track Work
Distance: 1.1 mile
Time: 9:18
Comments: The warm-up lap didn't suck.
Conditions: Hour: 6:00 p.m.
Surface: track
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 73 degrees
Humidity: 20 percent
Wind: 25 mph
Location: Marco de Niza High School, Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Adidas Supernova Sequence 3M
Injury update: Two steps into the workout I got an excruciating sharp pain in my upper right quad. Not a peep in the warm up and no real issue at jogging pace but any force at all and it is like getting hit with an ice pick. Spectacular.
monday, september 05, 2011
Easy Run
Distance: 3.44 miles
Time: 40:00
Comments: My efforts to run after the track workout three weeks ago did nothing to relieve the pain in my lower left leg so, rather than being bullheaded about it, I just stopped running for awhile.
I went out today to just see how the legs are holding up. I ran for 20 minutes and walked for 20 minutes. I would have liked to have done a straight four miles but pushing things would be a little bit stupid right now. I also went out in the mid-morning and temperatures here in Arizona are still stifling.
Overall I felt OK. Conditioning is pretty much kaput but my legs didn't feel overly bad and my pace wasn't atrocious. More importantly, I didn't have any of the lower leg pain that was bothering me before.
Conditions: Hour: 9:45 a.m. read moremonday, august 15, 2011
Track Work
Distance: 2:93 miles
Time: 22:00
Comments: And, with that, my training comes to an end. After the long run in Washington, my lower left shin was pretty sore and it got worse with the following workouts. I stayed off it almost a full week and went into this workout hoping things were better. They weren't.
As bad as it was to be in the heat, I felt very strong on my warm up lap. Coach had us do 2.5 miles at 10K pace - about 1:40 per lap for me. The first two-and-a-half went fine but the last 600 meters the leg started complaining again. Dean had me try it on the grass and I got in one good lap and then the same problem.
So going to Oregon gave me the answer I was looking for, given the limited time before the race I can't put the amount of miles in and stay uninjured. Now the goal is to heal up and start all over again. This time, of course, I'll do it very slowly and not set a target race until I know I can get through the training. read morethursday, march 10, 2011
Track Work
Distance: 3.74 miles
Time: 26:01
Comments: It has been two weeks since my last run. There a host of reasons for this but burnout might be the best one. The plan now is to just get the stamina back without allowing a complete deterioration of conditioning.
That said, a fast mile repeat workout might not have been the best idea. I felt pretty good in the warmup but the temperature was much hotter than my last run and the humidity damn near nonexistent. It would be unpleasant.
The workout was for five mile repeats alternating 10K and 5K pace with three minute rest. I knocked out the first one pretty well at 6:34 but my hamstring was noticeably tight. The second one started OK but at the half mile mark I stopped (3:10). The reason was the tightening hamstring but I could have just been whooped. read moremonday, february 21, 2011
Track Work
Distance: 1.97 miles
Time: 15:45
Comments: The race yesterday left me a bit more sore than I expected. It was more of just a sort of soreness all over than anything really specific. Nothing so bad I felt I wouldn't be able to do the track workout.
Still, the idea was to make this a recovery workout. A good dose of speed but not a huge amount of distance. Ten (or 12 if I felt really good) 200 meters at mile pace with a 50-yard walk to recover. Seemed reasonable enough.
I felt not just very strong for these but smooth in my execution as well. I got through four of them all at just about :39 seconds. The fifth I did in 38 seconds but my right hamstring felt tight on the last bit of it.
Rob came in behind me and warned me not to push too hard today since I had raced yesterday. Turned out to be a timely warning as my hamstring gave me a little jab at the halfway point of the next 200. I simply stopped and called the workout "over." read moremonday, february 14, 2011
Track Work
Distance: 4.83 miles
Time: 41:11
Comments: The legs felt pretty good after the long run but it certainly took it's toll. Old man naps were par for the course both yesterday and today. Yet I didn't have that completely drained feeling I've had after really difficult long runs.
Since it looks like I'll be aiming to do the half-marathon this weekend I was concerned about today's workout. With no rest since the long run I was a little reticent to undertake the intense effort of last week. So I planned on running just 12 400s and a bit slower as well.
Of course that went out the window the first time round the track. Rob and Jason -- who are both planning on doing the race this weekend in some form or another -- were doing these with me so of course I found myself pushing the pace harder than I should have. read morewednesday, february 09, 2011
Goal Pace Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 45:13
Pace: 7:32
Comments: Yeesh. The idea was to give myself a bit of a mid-week break to help my legs recover for a longer weekend run. Instead the wind made it a battle.
I went to the masseuse yesterday and, as a result, I was a bit tender this morning with a few achy spots. The result was a pretty uncomfortable warm-up mile but things went pretty well after that.
With the wind at a pretty constant 20 mph and the occasional gust up to 30 mph things were pretty rough on the back stretch. I had to treat it almost like a 400 on the track -- lowering my head and trying to keep the leg turnover constant.
The final 7:32 average pace was reasonable but I felt like I put in a ten miles at goal pace when it was over. Hill runs on San Juan Road aren't that exhausting. read moresaturday, january 22, 2011
Long Run
Distance: 16 miles
Time: 2:15:56
Pace: 8:33
Comments: I ended up taking another two days off after the goal pace run this week. Partially because I've continued to feel worn out and this is at least partially due to resuming core work on the roman chair.
The other reason is I've reviewed my marathon training schedule and this week became a sort of in-between period from the old plan and the new. So there wasn't any real good reason to push myself and risk aggravating the calf.
At first I was considering doing a 20-miler but it turns out that would put me off schedule by a week so I decided to just do a 16-miler and bump it up to 18 if I was feeling extraordinarily perky.
It was pretty chilly starting out and I had to really concentrate to keep from going out too fast. I was tempted to make it a goal pace effort but only briefly. The last thing I want to do is aggravate my injury by doing something dumb. read moresunday, january 16, 2011
Rock n Roll Arizona Half Marathon
Race: The Rock 'n Roll Arizona Half Marathon
Official Time: 1:38:50
Actual Time: 1:38:53
Comments: The initial plan for this race was to run it as a goal pace long run and get a little race day experience in as well. Then the calf injury struck and I've essentially spent the last week doing incrementally longer goal pace runs to see if it can handle the strain.
So I went into this with the hope of a sub 1:40 run but, more importantly, the hope of finishing without aggravating the problem that sidelined me for the start of the year.
I decided to do the RnRAZ half because it fell in the right place on the calendar and it's been awhile since I ran something that I got a medal for. But, just like the last time I ran this race, I woefully underestimated the chaos involved with the event. The race expo was complete chaos (although I did get to hear Frank Shorter speak) and it was even more insane on raceday. read morethursday, january 13, 2011
Goal Pace Run
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 53:19
Pace: 7:37
Comments: The blog interface ate this original post so this is pretty much the best I could recollect.
I got out kinda late so it was pretty warm but I was less worried about production than the ability of the leg to hold up under the stress. The run went pretty well although I was paranoid about every little sensation from my lower right leg that could possibly be any type of precursor to something worse. Although I initially planned on making this an eight-miler but I decided to just go for the seven miles on the training schedule and be safe.
Conditions: Hour: 3:00 p.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 64 degrees
Humidity: 25 percent read moretuesday, january 11, 2011
Goal Pace Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 30:02
Pace: 7:31
Comments: It's been just better than a week since my last run. The right calf issue didn't get much better. I went to Jill and got it massaged but it was just as bad the next day. So I stayed off it for the whole week and went out today to give it a trial run.
There was no real plan to this one just to keep it within what seemed reasonable and to stop if the leg started hurting again. I started pretty slow but by the half-mile mark I was working at goal pace with no real issues.
Things went pretty well and I even pondered ambitions of an 8-miler but along mile three I was thinking there might have been slight discomfort in the calf. It's very tough to say because I'm so damn skittish now. So I pushed it to the four-mile mark and let it go at that. read moremonday, january 03, 2011
Goal Pace Run
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 52:38
Pace: 7:31
Comments: And then the wheels fell off...
I had been doing really well with training and holding up better than I expected but then, just as I was confident enough to put my money down to register for the races... everything goes to shit.
The pain in my calf didn't ease up much over the two days off and I decided to forego the last workout of the week to give me time to recover. Then things got crazy on New Year's Day so the long run didn't happen then. Yesterday, I got up with the intention to go get the run in but ended up sick as a dog and in bed all day.
So I waited until it was decently warm today and tried to see how things had developed. Badly, it seems. The calf was as bad as before (see below) and I never really felt comfortable with the effort either. I finally cut the run short at 7 miles -- half the scheduled effort. read morewednesday, december 29, 2010
Goal Pace Run
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 37:24
Pace: 7:28
Comments: The miles are making themselves known. With this run I'm at 38 miles over the past four days and there ain't a lot of reserve in the tank. Making matters worse, I didn't get breakfast this morning so it was doubly difficult to find the energy to get the run finished.
I wanted to be sure and get this one in before the front moved through. The forecasters are promising rain and chillier temperatures which could derail workouts if I left them to be done later.
Still, despite the difficulties, I felt relatively strong throughout this one and certainly had the stamina to gut my way through the thing. Like yesterday, I did try to keep from looking at the Garmin to check my pace and, instead, just try and hone into it naturally. And, like yesterday, I was skewing it fast when I did so. read moresaturday, december 25, 2010
Week Wrapup
Week: December 20 - 26
Total Miles: 42.58
Total Time: 5:46:53
Total Avg Pace: 8:08
This was a tough week since it consisted of running almost 60 miles in eight days. That's pretty much the most I have attempted in such a short span since the last time I was this deep in marathon training, almost two years ago.
Looking at my weekly mileage totals its not hard to see why Coach Dean thinks I'm a bit short of where I need to be. Yes, those abbreviated weeks were unavoidable but, whatever the reason, they are a very real obstacle to reaching my goal.
The obvious solution is giving myself the extra few weeks to make up for the lost effort, which is the route we've chosen to take. Instead of the Desert Classic marathon on Jan. 29, I've signed up for the IMS Arizona Marathon on Feb. 20. The training schedule hasn't been updated yet, but most likely will get taken care of in the next few days. read moretuesday, october 19, 2010
Recovery Run
Distance: 3.54 miles
Time: 30:00
Pace: 8:29
Comments: The initial plan was to go to the track yesterday and get in a mile or two very very easy. But after the 2-hour nap that wiped me out, it was pretty clear I could use the whole day to recover from the race on Sunday.
I didn't feel too bad this morning but getting started on this run was pretty rough. My legs were very stiff and not particularly happy at even the easy pace of this effort. They warmed up pretty good by the first mile but then a few specific sore spots cropped up (see below).
Conditions: Hour: 8:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear
Temperature: 70 degrees
Humidity: 60 percent
Wind: none
Location:Thude Park, Chandler, Arizona read moresunday, october 17, 2010
Week Wrapup
Week: October 11 - 17
Total Miles: 24.42
Total Time: 3:06
Total Avg Pace: 7:37
A kind of irregular week with the race at the end of the thing. I put in a pretty rough speed workout on Monday that knocked the crap out of my legs for a few days. Coach Dean had me doing easy runs on the odd-days but I cut back on that given how tapped out I felt after the days without rest.
I also re-started work on the Roman Chair that left me pretty damned worn out as well. The effort had me sore enough I could feel the effects on my runs which will pass but made the workouts that much more unpleasant.
The second track effort on Thursday was just right for preparing for the race. It gave me the feeling of having done a good workout but not completely worn out. A core effort on the next day and Saturday off was spacing it out just about right. read moresaturday, october 16, 2010
South Mountain Classic 20K
Race: South Mountain Classic 20K
Official Time: 1:43:34
Actual Time: 1:43:33
Comments: When I signed up for the Arizona Road Racers South Mountain Classic 20K, I thought it would be a reasonable test of my conditioning. A bit less than a half-marathon and a bit of hills to make it a challenge. Well, it turns out the "bit of hills" were something more than a "bit."
I got out to the South Mountain Activity Center a bit late. Although I left the house in plenty of time, I got confused on where the race was, exactly, and had to retrace my tracks down the interstate to find it. Of course once I got there I recognized it from the Phoenix YMCA Half Marathon I did in 2008. read morethursday, october 14, 2010
Track Work
Distance: 3.76 miles
Time: 26:21
Comments: With the intense work on Monday and the better-than-recovery-pace on Tuesday, I opted to skip the run yesterday in anticipation of the track effort today. It turns out Rob is going to do this race as well so we both ended up getting the same prescription for the evening -- a half ladder (1600m, 800m, 400m & 200m) at 5K pace or better.
I've run enough with Rob to know that he's not just faster than me in these efforts but also tends to do them slightly fast. So I planned to use him to pace me on the first laps and then try to drop them into 1:30 lap pace or so if I could. That's my probably time trial pace but good enough for this workout.
And that's pretty much what happened. We stayed pretty close the first lap of the 1600 and 800 but then he pulled away and I ended up with a time just faster than what I expect my 5K pace is probably at right now. I tried to cruise the 400 but I deliberately turned on the burners for the 200m. read moresunday, october 03, 2010
Week Wrapup
Week: September 27 - October 3
Total Miles: 17.03
Total Time: 2:31:51
Total Avg Pace: 8:47
A very strange week. Things started out well with the solid goal pace run but after returning to Arizona I simply was not up to snuff. It's not that I felt bad but I really didn't feel as good as I should.
The recovery run was lackluster and the trail run was pretty sad. I was going to do another recovery run today but with the rain and the continuing "blahs" I skipped it. This isn't just laziness, though. With the increased speed I'm very nervous about injury. A relatively easy week to recover isn't a terrible idea.
What I'm really feeling guilty over is abandoning the core work completely. I really need to get on this since my regimen is limited as it is -- layoffs like this simply make getting back to where I need to be even harder. And it is part of the whole avoiding injury strategy. read morewednesday, september 29, 2010
Easy Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:39
Pace: 8:38
Comments: This was very much an easy/recovery run. With the back-to-back goal pace efforts I didn't want to do anything more than break a sweat and get the feel of my legs beneath me.
The Arizona weather was about what I expected coming back from the East Coast, hotter and less humid. Still, I got out early enough it wasn't unbearably so in either category.
For the most part, this was a solid feeling run but I was a little disappointed at how the pace turned out. I thought I was going a bit faster than than the whole way. More importantly, there was never that feeling of wanting to cut it short.
Conditions: Hour: 8:30 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: clear read moresunday, march 21, 2010
Running Log/Easy Run
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 24:54
Comments: I am not setting the world on fire by any means. I got up early to get out before the sun came up and things got sweltering but the humidity still did me in.
The schedule called for six miles at easy pace - 8:27 or so. I was trying to be more realistic and just set the distance as the goal. Things started off fine enough but a mile in and I was dragging as hard as on Friday.
I stuck it out over the next two miles but was simply pooped at that point. With the achyness of the hip and the fatigue factor, I called it a day. I hope that this acclimatization takes care of itself pretty quickly and I can get back into the planned schedule next week.
Conditions: Hour: 6:30 a.m.
Surface: dirt/sand read moresaturday, march 06, 2010
Running Log/Trail Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 56:25
Comments: Given the progress on the track, Dean suggested making this run a bit longer. I kinda balked at that, both because I like this routine right now and I'm getting a little worried about injury. The compromise was to aim to bring this one in faster than before.
I got out to South Mountain a little late. By 8:30 a.m. the place is full of folks and finding a parking space is more about luck than anything. Another plus is that my parallel parking skills are still pretty sharp.
I headed up the hill. The first mile had me breathing hard as usual and I took the left at the fork in the trail instead of heading down my usual route up Mormon Trail. The last time I did National Trail as the ascent it was my first time out and it pretty much sucked. read morethursday, march 04, 2010
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 4:33 miles
Time: 56:03
Comments: Been slacking on the core work during the week and got to the track late tonight as well. On the plus side, I felt completely rested and recovered for this workout, which is a nice change. That didn't mean it was going to be at all pleasant, of course.
Speed strength was still the featured item on the menu but I wasn't sure how much coach would be wanting me to do. He said we'd want to be doing the workout "comfortably" before jacking it up to 10 sets. So we talked it over a bit and he decided to play it safe and have me repeat the same ole eight sets but with two 800s like I did on Monday.
Given that, I really wanted to keep my 400s down in the range I had been running them before. I pushed the first two pretty hard to get the times in the low 1:30s but then tried to keep the 800 a consistent effort. I was shooting for a 3:10 but came in five seconds slow. read morethursday, february 18, 2010
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 4:88 miles
Time: 1:05:54
Comments: As well as the trail run on Saturday went, it wasn't without a price. I developed some massive blisters from the effort.
I've dealt with blisters before but these were different. Instead of being on the side of the ball of my foot they were right underneath, and the one on the right foot was pretty big.
I didn't think it was much of a big deal until the next day when I served as the support crew for Rob and Lacen's BQ attempt at the IMS Arizona Marathon. By the end of the race I could barely walk (or swallow after accidentally garroting myself with my sweater).
I spent the next two days regularly soaking in salt water and stepping around very gingerly. I decided to nix the track workout on Monday not because running would have hurt - but because it was bad enough I would have been overcompensating and likely to do some real damage. read moresaturday, february 13, 2010
Running Log/Trail Run
Distance: 5.94 miles
Time: 59:15
Comments: I felt much better after Thursday's workout than I could have possibly expected. There was soreness but no hint of the piercing hip pain I was dreading.
So I got in the core work yesterday and felt downright excited about my trail run this morning. Despite the snow blanketing much of the country, conditions were absolutely perfect out at South Mountain for running.
I was a little stiff starting and the uphill had me a bit winded to start. I felt pretty good when I got past the road section and onto the real trail when things got serious. I also took the right one, Mormon Loop, this time as well.
While this was certainly tough work it wasn't pushing the envelope of my endurance like last week. Part of that is a more reasonable uphill on this route but I clearly had better control over the effort as well. read morethursday, february 11, 2010
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 3:89 miles
Time: 55:54
Comments: The goal pace run on Tuesday was rougher than I expected and my right hip was somewhat uncomfortable afterward. I skipped core work yesterday due to weirdness so wanted to get a good workout in this evening.
The hip was not happy in the warm up although it wasn't into complete stabby mode or anything. Dean and I talked it over and decided to do a warm-up 400 in order to get it ready for the tougher strength work.
At the end of the 400 - which I did overfast as usual - it was clearly not happy but I figured I was going to pay for it anyway, I might as well get the whole workout in.
The goal was eight speed strength sets. By number two I knew I was screwed. I pretty much just did whatever I could to hold it together and get through the workout. It was not pleasant. read moresaturday, february 06, 2010
Running Log/Trail Run
Distance: 5.62 miles
Time: 58:20
Comments: As part of the back-to-basics effort, Coach Dean wants me doing trail running again. The idea being that it will help strength; partially due to elevations and partly due to variation in how my feet hit the terrain.
I initially planned to get up real early and knock this one out but, when I woke up my right hip was very uncomfortable. I shelved the run till later... if I felt better.
But, by noon I felt alright and decided to make a stab at it and headed up to South Mountain. Of course by then folks out to enjoy the weekend had taken over the place but oh well...
I didn't do any preparation, I just headed out. I didn't intend on setting any speed records with this effort so doing the first mile at warm up pace wasn't going to matter. read moremonday, december 28, 2009
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 4:33 miles
Time: 33:53
Comments: The three-day layoff proved to be a bit of a double-edge sword. I felt completely recovered in terms of strength and energy but my muscles were still unhappy.
My quads were brutally sore the two days after the last track effort and I wasn't exactly perky yesterday as well. I approached it like I would during my distance training - by staying off my feet - but that wasn't the correct answer.
Arriving at the track my warmup lap was a bit of a challenge. My quads were excruciatingly stiff and it took three laps to be running anywhere close to normal. The upshot is it was clearly stiffness, not any type of sharp sensations that would indicate actual injury.
The menu for the evening was a 1200m run with the first lap at 10K pace, the second at 5K pace and the last at mile pace. Then three 300m at hard effort with 100m jog between. read morethursday, december 24, 2009
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 3.98 miles
Time: 30:17
Comments: My first time running in a week and a pretty major re-adjustment to my training. The schedule called for a 16-miler last Saturday and not only was I busy and unmotivated, my hip wasn't cooperating either.
I finally got out the door on Tuesday but got started and immediately stopped since the hip pain had me limping grievously from the get go. That about tore it for me; what's the use of putting in these workouts when they are only serving to cripple me? This race ain't that important.
It is important, of course, but to achieve my goal means pushing myself harder over these last seven weeks - more distance, more intensity, more workouts. That can only result in wiping me completely out with no assurance I'll make my BQ goal or injuring myself for real. read morethursday, december 17, 2009
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 6.17 miles
Time: 43:12
Comments: After my "recovery run" on Monday I was pretty much shot until today. Just physically run out and not a happy camper at all. So while I felt a lot better when I showed up at the track, I was also a bit apprehensive. Coach Dean decided to take a conservative approach to the workout and play it by ear.
So instead of "mile" repeats we sliced the first one into "half mile" repeats to see how my legs/hip responded. The first one was kind of uneven and odd and the second one only slightly less so. But the hip didn't come flaring up and my legs didn't feel like they were ready to give way. So I took a stab at the mile and it didn't completely suck. read moretuesday, december 15, 2009
Running Log/Recovery Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:24
Comments: This one may have been a recovery run but there was nothing about it that was easy. I woke up feeling very much like I ran a hard 13 miles yesterday and it took a lot of discipline to get out the door at all.
The first part of the run were damn rough. This wasn't the usual ginger step from the sore hip but an outright limp. It took a full mile to be able to run normally. And the effort was brutal in addition to that specific pain.
It wasn't till the final mile I felt I was actually running and, needless to say, there was nothing spectacular about the pace either - 9:36 average overall. I think tomorrow is going to be a rest day.
Conditions: Hour: 9:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete/asphalt read moremonday, november 16, 2009
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 5.28 miles
Time: 41:10
Comments: This workout turned out to be a bit of a barometer for where I stand in terms of conditioning. As a result there are lots of numbers and nifty graphs to follow.
It was another dark night at the track since the field lights weren't on. A minor hassle since it also means we don't have to dodge the band kids and their equipment. In terms of the workout, it led Coach to opt for a less technical approach that would have relied on pacing (and monitoring our watches).
Given my layoff I got the shortened version of the workout but the goal was to stick with the rest of the group as closely as possible for it. This would be a two-mile (3200 meters) at 10K pace followed by a complete recovery and then a one-mile (1600 meters) at 5K pace. read moresunday, november 15, 2009
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 62:37
Comments: The intention was to do this run yesterday but I woke up feeling a bit ill, runny nose, headache and very blah. Not completely sick, but in the same area code. So I decided to take the day off and push the long run till today.
Which seems to have worked. I woke up today feeling much better (but not ideal) and actually got a rather solid - if unspectacular - run in.
The goal was eight miles (about an hour of running) with at least half at goal pace. I averaged 7:18 over the first four miles although the first one was WAY fast and I got progressively slower. The last four were all pretty close to the 8:22 average pace and felt pretty solid as well.
So that's the first week back. An encouraging effort but there's a hell of a lot more miles left to go. read morethursday, october 08, 2009
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 4:58 miles
Time: 38:28
Comments: Well, as the weather gets better, my physical condition seems to get worse. I'm struggling to get quality workouts in with the ongoing hip issue and it's not pleasant at all
This workout was a series of six 800s at 5K pace. That put me in the 6:10 target area which I did a pretty good job of holding onto. Running-wise I felt fine - a good controlled effort with that element of discomfort you get when you push it.
The problem, though was the hip. The first 800 was the regular stripe of achy and the second one was an absolute dream after that... things got worse and worse. Starting each and every one was unpleasant and the discomfort held steady the whole two laps. read morewednesday, october 07, 2009
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 53:30
Comments: A later morning run made possible by cooling temperatures. Averaged 7:24 through the six goal pace miles but left off the cool-down mile due to the hip problem.
Conditions: Hour: 8:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete/asphalt
Weather: evening
Temperature: 66 degrees
Humidity: 38 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Pearl iZUMi Surge+
Con Musica
Injury update: The hip continues to be a serious problem. It makes the first half mile barely more than hobbling and never goes away after that. Not sure exactly what needs to be done at this point.thursday, october 01, 2009
Running Log/Tempo Run
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 36:26
Comments: The initial plan was to do this run at the high school like normal but there was a football game on and we were obliged to go elsewhere. And elsewhere turned out to be the Arizona Canal by the YMCA (a big further west than were I do my long runs).
This is a decent stretch to run long intervals on except for the fact it has zero light. And since there has been some construction work adding sidewalks, the ground is uneven in spots. Which jumps out at you outta nowhere in the dark.
But it was almost full moon tonight so it wasn't as bad as it could be. Dean had us do a two-mile run at 10K pace to start. This would mean I needed to do it in 13:20 and I was 15 seconds slow on that. That was from the first mile which I finished in 6:53, I hit the second one 6:40 on the nose. read moremonday, september 28, 2009
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 5.5 miles
Time: 46:13
Comments: A more difficult run that I was expecting. I'm still pretty beat up from the long run it seems.
The workout called for eight sets of 400s at 5K + 200s at mile. Given my time trial last week that means I should have been aiming to hit the 400's in the 1:35 range and the 200's in the 0:43 range. Instead, I was all over the map.
I talked to Dean a bit about the pain in my hip I've had recently (see below) and let the peloton go on without me. I also wanted to kind of do these by myself to get into my own rythm rather than push myself to match the group. read moresunday, april 19, 2009
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 1:12:43
Garmin link
Comments: This week turned into a big beast on the work front and running went to the wayside. But I was determined to get out the door and get the miles in this morning.
As expected, it was tough getting started but, overall, the thing went very well. I kept the just-better-than-nine-minutes-per-mile pace I wanted given the horrorshow of hills I was contending with.
Next week I'll be in Panama and fitting the runs in will be dicy and a day-to-day effort but I'll try to at least get a good long run in to keep the conditioning up.
Conditions: Hour: 11:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: partly cloudy read moresunday, january 25, 2009
Running/Log/Long Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 1:07:39
Garmin link
Comments: This was an either/or run that depended on the first mile. Either it was going to be a six-mile goal pace run or a regular long run of eight. Getting started I was pretty creaky so I opted for the latter.
The first mile I was pretty stiff. I didn't have that achy-hips thing I get when the psoas is aggrivated but I certainly wasn't particularly limber either. The first mile or two my pace hovered above the 9 mi/min mark. But after the 20 min mark or so I got into it.
Since this wasn't a goal pace effort I still wanted to push myself a little bit so I was shooting for a negative split which I was able to do, running an 8:39 pace for the first four miles and an 8:16 pace for the last four. Overall, I averaged 8:28 min/mi for the whole effort. read morewednesday, january 21, 2009
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 45:45
Garmin link
Comments: Got out there a bit late due to an avalanche of busy work this morning but felt pretty motivated when I did. Initially I was just planning to put in six miles at better-than-easy pace but things went much better than that.
I got the first mile in pretty smoothly and felt strong as well as consistent in the effort. I knew it was a bit fast pace-wise but I decided to keep it going and try and make a stab at goal pace without looking at the garmin. Turns out I was relatively close.
I averaged 7:22 per mi on the middle four miles - right under goal pace. That's leavened by the fact those miles got progressively slower, from 7:08 down to 7:36 (the same pace as my first "warm up" mile). Condition looking good, stamina and strength less so. read moremonday, january 19, 2009
Running Log/Easy Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 32:04
Garmin link
Comments: Run-of-the-mill easy/recovery run made somewhat notable because it was my first outing with the orthotic. Initial assessment? It feels like I'm running along a speed bump the entire way.
Outside of the weirdness factor it seemed to do quite well. On the one hand I didn't have any serious response from all the known achy spots and may even have felt a bit more push in my stride to boot.
But the relatively comfortable 8:10/mi average pace could also be marked up to the week-long layoff and six mile effort on Saturday. Overall, though, a pretty good little effort.
Conditions: Hour: 10:30 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete read morethursday, january 15, 2009
Physical Therapy
After throwing in the towel on the February marathon effort I figured it was an ideal time to step back, re-assess and get back to the fundamentals of my training. As part of that I decided it was time to figure out what the hell is up with my mechanics that keeps causing these hip issues.
So I went over to Functional Performance Center in Tempe to get an evaluation. I’ve gone to these guys twice before and their analysis has proven a solid roadmap for my attempts to improve my running. Hoping for a silver bullet is a bit unrealistic but recurring issues like my hip are usually caused by something relatively specific. read moresunday, january 11, 2009
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 1:01:35
Comments: The suckiest sucky run I've had since last November. I've felt like hell for the last few days and gave myself an extra day to recover and it still didn't help.
Got out at 9:30 a.m. and was shooting for 14 miles - one warm up, 12 miles at goal, one warm down. What I got was one warm up mile and seven horrible ones after - overall pace was 7:42 per mile. Abysmal.
I was pushing as hard as I could the whole way and felt like my legs were made of cinderblocks. My hip, hamstrings and shin all were in massive pain the whole way. I got to the 5.5 mile mark and took my break hoping to make that my mid-point (salvaging a decent run of 11 miles).
But at about the 7.5 mark I was dead and had to puke. The headache, soreness and all the rest made it seem sensible just to throw in the towel. Fuck. read morewednesday, january 07, 2009
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 47:01
Garmin link
Comments: This was the first goal pace run since the marathon. I went over to Tempe to run it with Rob and, as a result, did it the "proper" way - with a warmup and cooldown mile.
On the one hand it went pretty well overall. I got up to pace and held it the whole way. The average pace for the four "goal" miles worked out to 7:23 - just four seconds faster than the target.
On the other hand... I had to work a bit harder on this than I expected. It's hard to quantify but I couldn't talk for the time we were on the pace miles because I was working so hard to keep up.
Now normally that's not a big deal but in this case it is a concern since we are only a few weeks out from the taper and then the race. I really don't know how I'm gonna be ready in time for this effort. read moremonday, january 05, 2009
Running Log/Recovery Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 32:02
Garmin link
Comments: Got out the door pretty early today. While I felt pretty fantastically terrible after the long run I seemed to rebound yesterday afternoon.
The goal was a recovery run but I found myself pushing a little bit. After about half a mile I quit looking at the watch and just tried to keep things at a constant but not brutal pace. I ended up with a pretty precise set of splits that averaged out to 8 min/mi.
Tomorrow is another off day then the first actual goal pace run of this effort. That's when we'll see if I'm really back in the swing of this.
Conditions: Hour: 7:15 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete read moresaturday, january 03, 2009
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 20 miles
Time: 2:50:44
Garmin link
Comments: And for the first run of the new year I decided to invest heavily in pain. A full 20-mile long run even though I've only barely gotten back up to that kind of mileage in terms of the week since the Tuscon misadventure.
The goal was to get the miles in and see if this Feb. race is actually possible. I got done but just barely. It probably would have been wiser to have put in an 18-miler cause those last two miles were downright brutal.
Still, I averaged about 8:32 per mile overall and the only mile that came in over 9 minutes was the very first one when we were warming up (a few of the later ones came pretty damned close though).
read morewednesday, december 31, 2008
Midnight Madness 3 Mile Run
Race: Midnight Madness 3 Mile Run/Walk
Official Time: UNK
Actual Time: 19:20
Garmin link
Comments: Another year, another NYE Midnight Madness run at Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix. This even has become a downright tradition with me since I did it in 2006 and last year.
Happily, each time I've run it I've been significantly faster as well - cutting 50 seconds off last year and a solid half-minute this year. But there was a lot of work behind that achievement - a total of 519 miles run in 2007 and a whopping 918 miles last year. read morethursday, december 18, 2008
Running Log/Track Work
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 22:21
Comments: First time at the track for reals in quite some time. Coach said he wanted to do a workout to get a gauge on where we are at so the recipe was three miles at a bunch of different tempos.
We started with two mile warm up then idled about moaning about our various post-race aches and pains. The workout was one lap at a jog, one at marathon pace, one at 10K pace and one at 5K pace. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Overall it felt alright. I've certainly lost my polish but I was able to do it. As usual, we ran most of the marathon pace laps at almost 10K pace. But that's not overly surprising at this point.
We had to run in the dark and amongst the hordes of kids like the last few weeks. One of the little bastards cut me off on the last lap and I almost taught him why Tiny Tim got to use those crutches. read moretuesday, december 16, 2008
Running Log/Easy Run
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 49:55
Garmin link
Comments: Got out a bit later than I wanted to get this one in but the weather has been wet and chilly so it didn't really matter. It's a lot like running in Lima, actually.
This one felt a bit sloppy but a lot better over the last one. I also didn't have that moment of 'blegh' when my body said it really didn't want to go any further. Which is an improvement. I guess.
Conditions: Hour: 4:00 p.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: light rain
Temperature: 55 degrees
Humidity: 67 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Trance VIII read moresaturday, december 13, 2008
Running Log/Easy Run
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 44:04
Garmin link
Comments: My first run since the race and it was about as good/bad as I expected. On the bad side, I was sloppy and felt the fatigue of leaving off my training for five days. This wasn't a speedy effort by any means.
On the good side, there wasn't any problem with any of the injury spots. The knee and the hip didn't give me a bit of trouble.
But my left outside quad and right lower calf were plenty sore. I'm guessing it's just all the scar tissue and whatnot needing to get worked out - or at least that's what I'm hoping.
Conditions: Hour: 7:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: cloudy
Temperature: 67 degrees read moremonday, december 01, 2008
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 22:54
Comments: Went over to the track for a workout with the guys. I knew Coach Dean had something of unpleasant intensity planned and I wasn't really excited about taking a chance with the progress on the knee and feet to risk it.
And Coach agreed. There ain't much more that can be done to prepare at this point but there's a lot that can be done to screw it all up. We decided on the three mile with the middle at goal pace workout I did last week.
It turned out to be the right choice cause I ran it a lot faster than I should have. The splits came out at 7:43, 7:19 and then 7:51. The two "easy" miles were a half-minute fast and the "goal" mile was almost ten seconds quick.
But that's what happens on the track... We'll see how it works on Thursday. read morethursday, november 27, 2008
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 23:43
Garmin link
I'm calling this a "goal pace run" because it fits the description but just by the technical definition. Instead of a three-mile easy run I just did the middle mile at goal pace.
The hope was to get a bead on the state of my legs but not push them hard enough to counter the progress that may have been made. I also wanted to just run a little.
The blister and the calf were much better but the knee was it's usual problem. Started fine but by the end of mile one it was stiff/achy and by the end of the run getting into it's normal level of discomfort.
Also, light rain for most of this one. Fun.
Conditions: Hour: 10:00 a.m. read morewednesday, november 26, 2008
Running Log/Easy Run
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 21:08
Garmin link
Comments: An early-ish run that I was apprehensive about but turned out alright.
Since we are in the taper now this wasn't a hard or particularly long. Just two-and-a-half miles around the block at an easy/recovery pace. My goal was more to get a sense on how much I had recovered from Sunday's disaster of a run.
Seems I'm much better. But, in honesty, this run was really too short to know for sure - the different problems usually start making themselves known at the three-mile mark. read moresaturday, november 22, 2008
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 1:02:49
Garmin link
Comments: A completely miserable run - by far the worst one I've done in months. I was stiff and sore from the run yesterday and nothing got better as the run progressed. I ended up cutting short by two miles and then going back to bed when I got home.
From the very start I was fighting to keep going due to the pain in the knee and the blisters on my left foot. The other critical complication was my right calf which got really tight at the end of yesterday's run. Despite my best efforts to appease it yesterday, it was still a mess today.
In the end I averaged about 7:51 per mile over the run which is sadly slow in comparison to the goal pace I wanted but well within the 8 min barrier I set for myself when I realized this was going to be a slog. read moresaturday, november 22, 2008
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1:16:20
Garmin link
Comments: Back to the Arizona canal with the guys. We started at 7 a.m. and it was pretty brisk but not really cold. Usually I try and get up to goal pace pretty quick but Rob likes to give the mile warm up and cool down so that's what we did.
Overall the run went fine. I felt pretty strong the whole way and in control. I felt that if I can hold a similar pace and level of exertion in two weeks, I should be able to hold on to make the goal. The only scary unknown is injuries...
Conditions: Hour: 7:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: sunny
Temperature: 47 degrees
Humidity: 66 percent read morefriday, november 21, 2008
New Shoes/Therapy
I have been pretty busy this week dealing with the various ailments that have beset me here at the end of the training push.
First off has been the problem with the patellar tendon on my right leg. At this point, I'm pretty much resigned to having to run with pain in my knee but I don't want to do real injury or have it get at all worse.
I went on Monday and got acupuncture therapy on the knee at the suggestion of my sister. In honesty, it had felt somewhat better in the wake of the long run so my feeling is it has kind of stabilized. But at this point I'll try anything.
I also got a pretty thorough massage this afternoon that was... well, brutal is probably the best description. My quads were "like stone" starting out, according to my masseuse and we ended up making it a two-hour session. I felt like I had run another 20-miler afterward. read morewednesday, november 19, 2008
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 60:00
Garmin link
Comments: Not fun in the least but not a disaster either. The two days off made me sluggish as expected and getting this one done was a chore.
Most of my reading has suggested it'll prolly be better to start the race slightly slower than goal pace so I tried to get the first half of this in at a pace hovering in the 7:30s per mile. I then shot for the 7:20s on the back half.
The individual laps were kinda all over the place but the 7:30 average pace suggests I was pretty close to my target overall.
The knee is still a problem but not nearly as bad as this same time last week. It felt mostly like a bad bruise getting started and went stabby once or twice but for long stretches I just kind of forgot about it. My hope is the reduced mileage helps it recover some but i'm doubtful it'll be completely resolved by the time of the race. read moresunday, november 16, 2008
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 20 miles
Time: 2:44:25
Garmin link
Comments: On the one hand this went much better than I had any reason to expect. I averaged an 8:13 per mile pace or so an never really felt like I was ready to throw it in. It wasn't easy, of course, but it wasn't the horrorshow survival adventure of other such runs.
On the other hand, the knee was simply brutal. For most of the run it felt like I had an ice pick shoved into my right leg directly above the kneecap. If I had looked down and seen my lower leg covered in blood I wouldn't have been the least surprised.
I didn't, of course, but that's about the most I can give it.
So I know that if the knee situation doesn't get worse - and that's not at all a given - I should be able to cope with the pain long enough to finish the race. Nope. Not looking forward to that in the least. read morefriday, november 14, 2008
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 58:02
Garmin link
Comments: Agony on a stick. As usual the right knee felt stiff and unpleasant to start and somewhere between 2.5 and 3 miles it graduated to actual heavy discomfort/pain. I simply hung int there and tried to focus on the exertion of the run rather than the protests from the joint.
Still, I was able to hold to my pace bringing it in with an average pace of 7:15/mi and not going over the 7:27 ceiling once. But, once again, keeping to that over a whole marathon with the knee issue is going to be a tough challenge.
Conditions: Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: sunny
Temperature: 60 degrees read moretuesday, november 11, 2008
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 58:17
Garmin link
Comments: And the battle with the knee continues. After talking with Coach Dean we decided to shear away everything but what is absolutely necessary in the schedule and hope for the best.
So I took two more days off after the long run this weekend and suffered through both of them. The knee is now sore as a matter of course, which is NOT a good sign. It felt much better this morning but not good by any stretch of the imagination.
I decided to go back to the nearby park in order to keep on a somewhat forgiving surface and because I would be able to kill the workout at any point if there was significant pain. There was significant pain, but it stayed below the teeth gritting level. read moresaturday, november 08, 2008
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 17 miles
Time: 2:13:27
Garmin link
Comments: This is not working out well at all. The knee issue is getting worse, not better and I'm reaching a point of frustration that could screw everything up.
After the disastrous run on Wednesday I had a talk with Coach Dean and we agreed that, given the mileage I've recently put in, a shorter week shouldn't hurt. So I took the last two days off and kept the right knee on ice as much as possible.
The idea being the long runs are important so we'll focus the work on those. Well, the rest didn't help. By the end of mile three I could feel it and by the middle of mile five it was clearly a problem.
The plan was to get in seventeen miles with the last ten at goal. I did the first seven at an average pace of 8:26 and the last ten at an average pace of about 7:26. Right on the nose. read morethursday, november 06, 2008
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 4.6 miles
Time: 33:07
Garmin link
Comments: Frustrating as all hell. After a day of anxiety and ice I got out hoping for the best and falling well short of it.
With the onset of this patellar tendon issue I spent most of yesterday's off day with ice on my knee and ibuprofin in my bloodstream. It didn't fuss too much but I wasn't mollified at all.
I went by the running store and picked up one of those therapy bands that strap below the knee to relieve pain in the tendon. I'm desperate. I'll try anything.
Heading out this afternoon I wanted six miles at goal pace if possible. It started off well enough. I didn't look at my Garmin, just tried to keep a good pace. Turned out I was cranking them out but my focus was on the right knee. read moremonday, november 03, 2008
Running Log/Interval Training
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 20:17
Comments: The good news is that this was another really strong track effort where I felt completely in control the whole way.
The workout was three miles alternating each 400 - one at marathon pace and then one at 5K pace. That would be 1:52 and 1:34 respectively.
We got started and I felt very in control and whipped out the first two laps no problem. Then I just started pushing it a little bit more on the "easy" laps and broke away from the group somewhat. Coach Dean kept with me and we kept up the pace the rest of the way.
read moretuesday, october 28, 2008
Running Log/Goal Pace Run
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 58:32
Garmin link
Comments: Due to work nonsense I didn't get out till pretty late in the morning. That meant it was a bit warmer than I would have liked for a goal-pace effort but there was nothing for it.
I just put on the Garmin and tried to keep it in the 7:20 ballpark which, somehow, I was able to do. The effort was pretty solid the whole way but definitely work the last few miles.
Yesterday I had a massage and my masseuse said my muscles are in the best shape she's seen me. Usually I'm a collection of tight spots and pain. The situation now is general overall fatigue. Which, I assume, is a testament to my progress strength-wise.
Conditions: Hour: 9:00 a.m. read moresunday, october 26, 2008
Running Log/Recovery Run
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:35
Garmin link
Comments: Up early and out the door. Just a four-mile recovery run but lord it felt like it's own odyssey given the wear and tear of the last few weeks.
I added this effort partly for vanity - having hit the 40 mi/week mark at last I wanted to best it - and partly for actual training objectives. A key to the effort right now is running on fatigued legs and it's harder to imagine legs more fatigued than mine after this week.
Except for the ongoing agony of my condition, the run went pretty well. I held an 8:40 pace or so overall and didn't get my heart-rate over the 75 percent range. So it seems we are holding steady.
Conditions: Hour: 6:30 a.m. read moresaturday, october 18, 2008
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 16 miles
Time: 2:17:05
Comments: Sweet merciful jesus that was as unpleasant a run as I've endured this year. The cost of six straight days of workouts allied with the copious amount of hills finally had to be paid.
It was damn chilly this morning and I simply could not get out of bed. I finally put in a good 12 hours before getting up and getting out the door. Then the temperature and my bleariness allied to keep me at a crawl. There were quite a few early miles in excess of 9:00 and not a lot I could do about it.
So I finally decided that any goal-pace miles was just a fools errand. Between the exhaustion and the hills I was more likely to injure myself. So I went for a more realistic goal - negative splits.
I got through the first half with an underwhelming 1:10:43 or 8:50 per mile. I made an effort to up the pace on the second half and came in with a slightly-more-respectable 1;06:22 or 8:18 per mile. read moresunday, october 12, 2008
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 20 miles
Time: 2:48:06
Comments: This was the first long run I've done in ages with a group and the first under controlled conditions. From the onset, it was a test to see where my conditioning is and where my injury is. I feel pretty confident on both scores now.
We started out at 5:30 a.m., their usual start time for runs in the Arizona heat. Except the heat went away yesterday and it was downright chilly getting started. It verged on brutal when the breeze picked up - and of course it did.
We started our run on the canal in the dark with the headlights and followed it for six miles then turned around. When we got back to the start we took about ten minutes to hydrate and gel up at the vehicles and then set out on the last portion. read moretuesday, october 07, 2008
Running Log/Recovery Run
Distance: 6.5 miles
Time: 52:57
Comments: A pretty long easy/recovery run. It wasn't a ton of fun given a bit of dehydration mixed with some of the soreness from the long run this weekend. I felt pretty good control-wise and never was in any doubt of finishing, just not a particularly stellar outing.
Conditions: Hour: 6:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: sunny
Temperature: 70 degrees
Humidity: 29percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks Trance VI
ConMusica
Injury update: Got a series of full-fledged jabs in the left hip setting out that really have me worried. They went away almost immediately but not a good sign at all. The right leg - particularly the calf and outside the knee - were sore for large portions of the effort.sunday, october 05, 2008
Running Log/Long Run
Distance: 13 miles
Time: 1:40:00
Comments: This was my first long run back in Arizona and, as such, the first chance to see how close I have dialed in on the pacing I'll need for my BQ effort. The schedule called for a 13-miler with the first six at goal pace - somewhere between 7:10 and 7:20 per mile.
Um... not too bad but I've got to concentrate on keeping the effort more stable. But I was not happy with the level of exertion it cost me. Running a full marathon at that pace is going to be damned tough.
The final seven miles I brought in at an average 8:07 per mile. About right. I wanted to slow it down but not get into 'easy pace' range. The biggest problem was my right leg got very sore on the last few miles (see below). It was a mental battle to stay in the effort and not give in. read moretuesday, september 30, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 28:00
Comments: My last run in Peru for the year. The schedule called for three miles at goal pace but I tacked on one extra for reasons explained below.
Still a bit worn out from the long run and, again, didn't eat as well as I should have yesterday. Still, once again, it was clear I had the strength in the legs to make up the difference.
Conditions: Hour: 7:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: cloudy
Temperature: 63 degrees
Humidity: 82 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Shoes: Brooks Trance VI
Con Musica
Injury update: With today's run I have put in 128 miles this month - the most since last March. It was right after that I fell prey to the hip ailment. So, while the hip feels stiff and I remain anxious about it, there is nothing in how it has reacted to this sudden ramp up in mileage to indicate it is ready to repeat. The real test, though, is next month when I start pouring on intensity as well...tuesday, september 09, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25:00
Comments: An unpleasant effort that I ended up cutting short. The plan was for six miles at race pace but I got about halfway and felt so abysmal I simply threw in the towel.
Partly, this was due to eating like hell yesterday and not having anything in the tank. But I also got a number of irksome aches that I wasn't too interested in letting multiply further by pushing things.
The run started well enough, good even pace and certainly the strength there to complete it but by the quarter mark I was already doing the deals in my head. I'll try and carb up today and maybe up the distance tomorrow.
Conditions: Hour: 9:00 a.m.
Surface: asphalt/concrete
Weather: cloudy read morewednesday, july 02, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 8 kilometers
Time: 43:00
Comments: And, after another prolonged layoff, I'm making another stab at the thing.
I had to head off to Brazil for a few weeks and all that got wrapped up yesterday allowing me to at least pretend to get back in the swing of things.
I took it easy the whole way and did the run on the beach in order to be nice to the legs the first day back. The hip seemed to cooperate - there was a bit of stiffness before the run but very low level. Sitting here thinking about it right now I can feel it so there's still something going on.
Once again, the plan is hit it every other day for a week or two and see how the legs are doing. And I'm determined to get the extracurricular work going as well.
Conditions: Hour: 7:00 a.m. read moretuesday, june 03, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 8 kilometers
Time: 47:00
Comments: And now for the second attempt. Most of yesterday I was post-run sore but there was an unsettling stiffness in the hip the whole day. Again, not outright pain and not enough to make me limp or anything, but certainly something.
I got out the door relatively early and did the warm-up jog to the Malencon. Again, there was the stiffness/soreness in the left hip. Enough to make me frustrated but not enough to be able to say if it was more than just general first-day-back stiffness.
At the park I stretched - I was pretty tight, overall - and then got into the run. I kept it very slow, even slower than yesterday. Again, no specific pain at all but I could tell there was something going on with the left hip. read moremonday, april 21, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 8 kilometers
Time: 45:00
Comments: More of the same, unfortunately. Things weren't too bad yesterday but I was witholding judgement until I could give the hip another test run.
Starting out was just the same. That unpleasant stabby feeling with the first few steps of the warmup that eased off as I got warmed up - moreso after stretching - but never went totally away.
And it's clear my conditioning, hard-earned as it was, is now completely out the window. The second-half of this one felt like I was running though thigh-deep mud.
Of course, given this sad effort, the fact that the Boston Marathon was run today didn't help my spirits much. That starting line has rarely felt further than it does today.
Conditions: Hour: 7:30 a.m. read moresaturday, april 19, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 8 kilometers
Time: 45:00
Comments: It has been a bit since I've run and there is a pretty good reason for that. My psoas situation evolved from 'annoying' to 'injury.'
I had to take a trip to the highlands last week and, when the extra days rest before that jaunt didn't seem to help much, Coach Dean and I decided bagging the whole week might be best.
But, when I got back the situation wasn't any better. In fact, I was in constant pain the whole time I was up in the mountains. That, coach said, is very not good. Bad enough, in fact, for Brazil to go off the schedule and put us in some degree of doubt about September.
Wonderful.
So, since the damn hip didn't feel much better this week I stayed off it. I've been pretty busy work-wise so I've been able to keep my mind off of it but I would be lying if I didn't say all this is a massive disappointment. read moresunday, april 06, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 8 kilometers
Time: 43:55
Comments: The past two days have been pretty frustrating. The ache in the hip came back and kept me sidelined. It wasn't as bad as earlier in the week when I couldn't put my pants on standing up but still, it wasn't fun at all.
So I decided to give it another shot today. Same as before, the run down the Malencon and back at a recovery run pace to see how it went.
I warmed up gingerly, it didn't jolt me getting going like before, so that's nice, but it was certaily still there. I stretched out pretty good then got with it.
While I never had that really bad feeling that gripped me last Sunday, it was clearly tight or tender the whole way. I also didn't feel 100 percent into the run as a matter of course either. read morethursday, april 03, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 8 kilometers
Time: 43:41
Comments: Well, I got out there today. That's some kind of victory... right?
The psoas and hip have been a right bitch the past few days. Every morning I've gotten up feeling sore but intending to go do my run if it's not too bad. Then the walk to get the paper turns into a bout of limping agony and that's that.
Today was somewhat better. Tender, unpleasant, but not exactly painful. So I held my breath most of the day and in the late afternoon decided to give it a go.
I tried to warm up slow but it was a ginger limpish effort. Still, the tenseness and irritation eased off as I got warmed up. I did an easy stretch routine after that and got into the run.
The stiffness that zapped me getting started that time was in the lower back. That got better but the psoas certainly made sure I didn't forget it. I could feel the little bastard the whole way but it stayed managable. read moretuesday, march 25, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 8 kilometers
Time: 40:09
Comments: Over the past two days my left illiopsoas has been... not quite sore, but certainly tight. On the few occasions I've run - crossing the street, usually - there was that little uncomfortable jab that I remember from a year ago.
So I was hoping the two days off would help some but sitting in airplanes and airport terminals isn't the best therapy for this particular problem. I also started doing a bit of ambient stretching. That seemed to help a bit more.
Anyhow, it felt pretty good this morning so I laced 'em up and headed out to the Malencon. Instead of the six-mile goal run I simply planned to run 40 minutes or so and see how it went. Overall, not bad.
I warmed up by jogging to the Malencon and then stretched out pretty good before getting started. Going out the psoas wasn't bad at all and, although I knew it was tight the whole way, it never got into that achy tight that makes me wary. read moresunday, february 10, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 14 miles
Time: 1:59:18
Comments: This will probably not be categorized as one of the most intellegent things I've done during training but I don't really regret it in the least.
It's been a frustrating week starting with pulling my quad muscle on Monday and then the impact that had on everything else. I'm wanting to get started on this training effort, finally, and my leg won't let me.
Originally, the training schedule called for a sixteen mile effort but, talking with Coach Dean during the week, we thought a 10-miler might be more sensible. (NOTE: I screwed up and overlooked the fact the run was set for 12 miles. Thus, I'm the idiot twice over.) read morethursday, february 07, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 25:00
Comments: This was my first track outing with Coach Dean's group. I didn't quite know what to expect but it turned out to be a very positive experience.
I got out to the track a bit late since I couldn't quite figure out where to park but no big hassle. I put in a mile or so warmup with one of the runners who was a bit late too. For most of this warmup I felt pretty good. Not sore, no problem with the quad and ready to run.
The plan was to run three miles at about 6:40/mi pace with fifty meter surges each lap. That would be a hard workout but not out of the realm of possibility. So we lined up and took off and it was immediately clear it wasn't going to happen.
The first few "real" running steps woke up the quad with a vengance. While the pain had eased off to a background tightness normally, it was very unhappy when put under this stress. read morewednesday, february 06, 2008
Running Log
Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 30:00
Comments: First run since my race and a very easy effort at that. After two days of agressive ice/heat treatment to my left quad I pulled on Monday I went out to see how it was faring.
Not too bad. I kept the pace down and it didn't give me any problems at all. Of course I was apprehensive the whole run waiting for that upleasant jabby feeling but it never came.
Anyhow, felt pretty strong outside of that. No real problems at all. Physically, anyway.
Conditions: Hour: 12:30 p.m.
Surface: dirt
Weather: sunny
Temperature: 55 degrees
Humidity: 45 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Thude Park, Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Nike Equalon +2 read moremonday, february 04, 2008
Injury update
And so, after feeling very dragged out after the race this weekend I decided to take Monday off and let my body recover.
Sunday, to be honest, was brutal. I felt like complete crap, like I had been drained of energy and filled up with ache. So two days off made sense even though I felt much better when I woke up.
Then, taking out the trash, I slipped and had to catch myself suddenly. It was rather awkward and, even though I didn't fall, I wrenched my left quad pretty badly. It felt like I had been stabbed with a tent pole or something.
And it didn't just ease off. I had to sit down for awhile to let the pain ease off and, even then, I was limping pretty good. Great.
So I put ice/heat repeatedly on the bastard. Ice for twenty minutes. Warm up. Hot tub for twenty. Cool down. Three times. It finally felt better but certainly didn't go away.sunday, february 03, 2008
Supplemental Training
As I have been getting prepared for the push to train for a BQ-level race, I've gone back to some of the books on the subject I've collected in the past two years. While Glover's"The Competitive Runner's Handbook" remains the bible on the subject, I've been poring through Pfitzinger's highly recommended"Advanced Marathoning" a good bit as well (I'll probably post an assessment of it at some point in the next few weeks). read moresaturday, february 02, 2008
London's Run 10K
Race: London's Run 10K
Official Time: 42:57
Watch Time: 42:55
I went in to this one with a target pace and target time. While I wasn't expecting to blast through my 'ideal' times I was hoping to show some progress in terms of getting back into running form. Needless to say, I haven't.
I was shooting for a 6:45 per mile pace and a sub 42:00 race. Not even close. I stumbled across the finish line at almost 43 minutes with a pathetic 6:55 per mile pace. I don't think I'm progressing, I'm regressing.
And it certainly isn't the race's fault. It was a bit chilly this morning getting up but not bone cold like it has been. And for the event itself temps were pretty much ideal. Moreover the the flat dirt course should have made for an excellent showing. read moretuesday, december 18, 2007
Running Log
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:33
Comments: My aching quads kept me at bay yesterday - a planned off day anyway - but decided to come raring back full-bore on this one (for more on that, see below).
So, as a result, I kept things slow and the pace gentle. And, outside of the leg soreness, the run went quite well. It twas a bit chilly this morning so I held off till things warmed up a bit before heading out. The air is pretty dry now so that makes the labor of the run easier as well.
Strength-wise, I'm feeling pretty good and my slightly improved diet is showing benifits as well. Now if I can just see to this limp... read moretuesday, september 25, 2007
Race Recovery/Masseuse
Well, all things considered, I've bounced back from the race in pretty good shape. Of course, this has been facilitated somewhat by not running myself to injury like last time.
Immediately after the race I was taking in a heaping helping of "OW!" moving with that creaky gait of an octogenarian off his calcium tablets. Of course I wasn't exactly alone in this respect and - let's be honest here - it was a miracle to finish and be moving.
I gingerly trundled up the hill to the pub and sat my ass down for a good two or three hours before gingerly trundling my way back down to the car. We stopped at the gas station on the way back to pick up three bags of ice for... you guessed it, THE ICE BATH.
read morewednesday, june 27, 2007
Running Log
Time: 45 min
Distance: 8 kilometers
Comments: And so, a week since my last run, I finally got a workout in. Sickness, deadlines and just flat-out depression have conspired to keep me off the pavement but I wasn't going to let it go one more day.
But getting out the door was a trick. It's cold, and wet, and miserable in Lima. I procrastinated rather well most of the morning before getting through the doorway.
Of course, once I got into the run it proved one of the things I've long observed about crappy days like this - they are perfect for running. There is something about pushing through the mist in your face and reaching the point you actually break a sweat that is satisfying in a way no other workout is. read moremonday, may 07, 2007
Running Log
Time: 30 min
Distance: unk
Pace: unk
Comments: A good tough run. But I should probably step back and set things up a bit.
After resolving to follow through with my constant vows to implement a stretching regimine, I went into it with gusto this weekend (the threat of a nagging injury is one hell of a motivator for these things).
I did three stretching routines each day this weekend concentrating on the hips. Before running today I did some light stretching, a bit of a pre-run walk and then an easy run up to the malencon itself - maybe three or four minutes.
Then I went through the entire stretching routine before the run itself. (I also made it a point to make sure I had my heel insert in as well) The result was zero hip pain (YAY!) but a persistant nagging stiffness in the right calf (BOO!). read morefriday, may 04, 2007
Week Wrapup
Total Distance: unk
Total Time: 1.5 hours
Comments: After the unpleasantness with the hip yesterday I again opted for a two-day layoff this weekend. While three half-hour sessions a week is a drop in the bucket from the miles I was putting in the second half of last year, it's just too iffy right now to take a chance on doing much more.
I went walking a bit this morning and while the hip was no big problem there is a decided tightness in my right calf that has persisted long after the achy muscle soreness has ebbed off. It makes sense that a problem there is an antecedent to this thing with the hip.
A review of the blog shows this could be the case for the ongoing hip struggles that beset me in December and up to the time of the marathon. read morefriday, may 04, 2007
Running Log
Time: 30 min
Distance: unk
Pace: unk
Comments: Got going early today and decided to hit the road even though it was a touch closer to rush hour than I like. Luckily, I got to the malencon before things got too bad.
Since the Wednesday run, my calves have still been sore but less so. On the other hand there was a very troubling development at about the 5 minute mark. My ass started to hurt.
Well, not my whole ass, it was my right butt cheek, to be exact. And it was a very familiar hurt. That "low thrumming ache that followed the gluteus maximus around the hip" that preceded the four hours of torture on Jan. 14. read moretuesday, april 24, 2007
Thus... it begins. Again.
It has been better than two months since I have run any distance to speak of and a solid three since I hit the pavement in any manner of "workout."
The hip isn't giving me the insistant nagging anymore but I remain very very leery of it. Reading up on stress fractures it seems two to three months san running is the minimum and six months after that before any type of race.
Which means I plan to be rather conservative with everything this go around.
I'm back in Peru, my regular workout locale. I'm gonna start just like I did a year ago, running by time every other day until I feel halfway in shape and then deciding what is next.
The idealist in me would love to run a marathon in September but the realist is whispering a January effort is much more likely. We shall see...monday, february 05, 2007
Masseuse/Chiropractor
In an effort to get a better bead on where my body is at I trundled off to the masseuse and chiropractor today. The good news is that my legs are recovering nicely, all the knotting and such brought on by training have eased off and I seem to be mostly recovered.
The bad news is this left hip issue is still very much in play. Working my lower back I didn't get a lot of the achy soreness I associated with the fatigued psoas so the hypothosis of a stress fracture is sounding more and more realistic.
The chiropractor agreed. While it isn't sure, continuing to lay off training simply is not a bad idea. Getting a proper diagnosis certainly won't change the fact that staying off it is the only treatment.
So I will stay off the pavement except for these short runs ever two or three days to get a feel of how it is doing. And, if there is any issue with it, I'll simply stay off it completely. read moresaturday, february 03, 2007
Running Log
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: unk
Pace: unk
Comments: It has been two weeks since my last run and a good three since the race. Work fun has allied with the desire to get over the severe pain the marathon left me in but it has come time to get back on the road.
The jaunt today was completely low-key. No watch. No pace. Just a mile and a half to see how I felt. The up side - I felt pretty good. I could actually just go an run without all the crippling agony holding me back again.
The worst part of my soreness was a jarring agony in my upper quads at my hips whenever I took a step. That's completely gone now.
On the down side - the psoas situation on my left leg is clearly still lurking around.
Regardless, it was nice to get a bit of a run in again. I'l see about adding to that over the next few days. read moresaturday, january 20, 2007
Running Log
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: unk
Pace: unk
Comments: The first time back on the pavement since the marathon. Needless to say this was an exploratory effort.
I was understandably achy from the get go and I headed out gingerly as a result. I found if I rolled my step forward and kept from landing on my heel, it relieved a lot of the pounding.
But it was touch and go for more than half-a-mile and then I had enough of it and decided to try and just run despite the soreness. Interesting discovery, I now have the ability to tell the pain to "piss off."
William Wallace at the end of Braveheart...? Pussy.
What was frustrating was feeling like I wanted to just run. I wanted to just hit a stride and get it going. But, even though the strength was there to do it the soreness of my hips wasn't going to let it happen. read morefriday, december 22, 2006
Running Log
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 72:57
Pace: 9:07/mi
Comments: Well, I knew the miles were taking their toll and today the piper came to be paid. I started out stiff and slow and things went downhill from there.
I had enough in the tank to do the run but the legs are just too banged up to go with any speed. I'm stepping gingerly and starting to develop some unpleasant sensations (see below). As a result, I'll prolly skip tomorrow's 4 miler and seriously consider postponing the long run on Sunday.
Conditions:Hour: 10:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete/asphalt/dirt/grass
Weather: cloudy
Temperature: 43 degrees
Humidity: 50 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Chandler, Arizona
Shoes: Brooks read morethursday, december 07, 2006
Running Log
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 38:56
Pace: 7:47/mi
Comments: A late run due to an astonishingly crappy day. I was so pissed off earlier that I didn't run because I was concerned about how it would affect my effort. I don't need to give myself an injury because I was pushing too hard due to an excess of adrenaline from having the red ass.
But it was pretty warm this afternoon and the wind wasn't as bad as it was earlier in the day. There was a ton of traffic, which made me a bit nervous, but I chose a route that kept me from dealing with it much.
I didn't eat worth squat today and between that and my disposition, it wasn't a heroic effort by any means. But, despite it all, it turned out to be a solid mid-week effort.
Conditions:Hour: 4:30 p.m. read moretuesday, december 05, 2006
Chiropractor/Masseuse
I didn't feel as beaten up today as I was expecting due to the effort of the race but the real issue was this ankle/calf thing. The good news is that it looked "much much better" according to the masseuse but that whole area needed a lot more work than the rest of the legs.
For some reason, my left leg is just a bunch of issues. There was a cruel knot in the right calf muscle and the hamstrings also uncomfortably tight. The mechanics of my legs - particularly the hips - obviously causes a lot of this but when the hell is it going to get better?
Probably never, according to my chiropractor. This is just the way I'm built and I'll have to deal with it in one form or another.
For now, she advised, I should probably stick with my new shoes instead of buying a new pair of the motion-control ones I used for most of the year. A lot of the calf pains are due to my leg getting used to the new stresses and going back will only make things more complicated. read moresunday, december 03, 2006
Week Wrapup
Distance: 32 miles
Time: 4 hours 7 minutes
Comments: After a rough mid-week struggle with the debilitating pain in my left calf, I was able to put in a surprisingly decent performance in the half-marathon to finish the week up strong.
I am glad I went ahead and did the race - the experience was very valuable and the psychological boost was a huge improvement on my recent lassitude and anxiety.
But the concerns I expressed at the start of the week are still very valid. The effort will clearly take a bit of the next week to recover from and further shortens the window I have for putting in the long miles needed to prepare for the marathon.
The next few weeks are going to be a real test of the effort I have put in over the past year. I am already running distances and speeds that I have never done before but now things get really intense. I hope I haven't overplayed my hand by the effort this week. read morefriday, december 01, 2006
Massage
I made an appointment with the masseuse to deal with this calf issue. Although it felt better when I got up, it was clearly there and clearly just waiting for any excuse to get ornery again.
Running the planned six miles was not an option.
The half-hour session was, by far, the most painful I have ever had. She just focused on the left calf for the whole time and when she hit the problem spots it was bad. The pain referred all the way up to my groin.
According to the masseuse, the whole shank of my leg was pretty "ropy" and strained - particularly on the outside of the lower part. That includes the achilles tendon. Her assessment was that something was causing it to overwork and the strain had localized in one or two spots real deep.
When she hit those two spots - one about the size of a pea and the other the size of a grape - it was not fun. But, after the session, the leg was noticably improved. I'll give it an easy go tomorrow and see how things proceed.
